Pep Biel, Brandt Bronico help Charlotte end DC United's season with 3-0 victory

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pep Biel scored in the 58th minute to ignite a three-goal second half, Brandt Bronico had two assists, and Charlotte cruised to a 3-0 victory, eliminating D.C. United from postseason play in a Decision Day match to close out the regular season on Saturday.

Biel notched his second goal in his ninth appearance when he used an assist from Bronico to give Charlotte (14-11-9) the lead.

Patrick Agyemang gave Charlotte a two-goal lead in the 75th minute. Bronico picked up his fifth assist on Agyemang's 10th netter in his first full season in the league.

Rookie Liel Abada completed the scoring in the first minute of stoppage time with an assist from Karol Swiderski. It was the seventh goal this season for Abada in 20 starts and 24 appearances. Swiderski tallied his second assist to go with six goals in eight starts and 10 appearances.

Kristijan Kahlina turned away three shots in goal for Charlotte, which moved up a spot to the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. The top four seeds host first-round matches in the playoffs. It was Kahlina's 12th shutout this season.

Alex Bono totaled four saves for DC United (10-14-10), which lost its spot in the East's wild-card match against CF Montreal to Atlanta United.

Charlotte will travel to play Orlando City on Saturday in a first-round match.

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AP MLS: https://apnews.com/hub/major-league-soccer

The Associated Press